Creation of Olle-gil Trail in Guro Digital Complex

[Seoul District News] Guro-gu Breaks Down Building Boundaries for Vibrant and Beautiful Streetscape Project with Walkways and Rest Areas; Previously Installed LED Symbolic Sculptures like Smart Henge and Media Poles, and Created Safe Pedestrian Roads at Intersections... Gwanak-gu and Seoul National University Recruit Institutions for 2022 Summer Vacation SNU Active Mentoring (SAM)... Seocho-gu's Popular 'Youth Career Coaching' Helps Career-Interrupted Women Rediscover Themselves and Children Find Their Dreams... Gangseo-gu Recruits 100 University Students for Administrative and Welfare Experience Group...

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) has created an Olle Trail in Guro Digital Complex as part of the ‘Vibrant and Beautiful Street’ project.

The ‘Vibrant and Beautiful Street Project’ is a project to create green spaces, rest areas, and convenience facilities around the Guro Digital Complex.

The Guro Digital Complex, formerly the site of the old Guro Industrial Complex, has transformed into an area densely populated with information technology (IT) and venture companies alongside industrial development. However, since it mainly consists of office spaces, green areas and safety/support facilities were lacking.

Through this project, Guro-gu improved the outdated facilities of the Guro Digital Complex and removed boundaries between knowledge industry centers to create walking paths and rest areas.

The newly created Olle Trail (around Digital-ro 32-gil 30, Digital-ro 30-gil 31, Digital-ro 30-gil 28) consists of four themes: ▲‘Fragrant Forest Path’ where one can feel the greenery and relaxation of bamboo ▲‘Silver Forest Path,’ a short walking trail for office workers ▲‘Maple Forest Path,’ a deck path where one can see metasequoia trees ▲‘Five-colored Flower Path’ planted with various flowering plants. Additionally, pergolas and story rest areas were created to provide resting spaces.

Earlier in January, Guro-gu installed LED symbolic sculptures where various media videos can be viewed in areas with high foot traffic within the Guro Digital Complex. The Digital Henge installed around Digital-ro 34-gil broadcasts media art and promotional videos of Guro, while the Media Pole near Digital-ro 34-gil 43 provides weather information such as fine dust concentration, temperature, humidity, and more.

In November last year, a ‘Safe Pedestrian Road’ was created at a high-risk traffic intersection (Digital-ro 31-gil 38-9). Five LED floodlights were installed to make crosswalks more visible at night, and four traffic safety signs indicating crosswalks were installed. Additionally, anti-slip pavement was applied to increase friction and prevent traffic accidents.

A Guro-gu official said, “Through the ‘Vibrant and Beautiful Street Project,’ the Guro Digital Complex area has become a more pleasant and safer place,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to make Guro a better place to live.”

Last year's winter vacation SAM Mentory class session 모습

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) announced that it is recruiting participating institutions for the ‘SAM Mentoring’ program, a collaboration between Seoul National University and local government, until the 16th.

SAM (SNU Active Mentoring) Mentoring is a program where Seoul National University students act as mentors to students from 3rd grade elementary to 2nd grade high school within the region, visiting local schools and institutions to provide academic guidance and career counseling.

The district utilizes excellent resources from Seoul National University to enhance local educational competitiveness and conducts the program annually to improve youth learning abilities and foster proper emotional development through academic guidance and career and personal counseling.

This program will be conducted free of charge, with 90 Seoul National University student mentors providing 10 sessions of 4 hours each to 340 elementary, middle, and high school students. Following the lifting of social distancing measures, sessions will be held face-to-face at local schools or community child centers.

To provide equal educational opportunities, the district prioritized recommendations for students from disadvantaged groups such as basic livelihood security recipients, lower-income families, multicultural families, and students with disabilities, before recommending general students, and communicated this to local schools and facilities.

In particular, the number of mentees per mentor has been adjusted from 3-4 to 2-3 to improve the quality of mentoring and further motivate mentees and enhance their learning abilities.

Youth mentees participating in the mentoring receive free academic guidance and career counseling, while mentors (Seoul National University students) receive educational volunteer credits or 1365 volunteer hours.

Last year, SAM Mentoring achieved results with participation from 54 elementary, middle, and high schools and 47 community child centers, totaling 1,339 participants, showing positive outcomes such as improved academic achievement, increased confidence, and better interpersonal development among youth.

Institutions (schools, community child centers, other welfare facilities, etc.) wishing to participate in mentoring can register on the SAM Mentoring website by June 16. Matching results will be announced on June 24 at 6 p.m. on the SAM Mentoring website.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “I hope this summer mentoring will be an opportunity to provide academic and emotional support to local elementary, middle, and high school students,” adding, “We will actively support meaningful mentoring where mentors and mentees grow together.”

For more details about SAM Mentoring, inquiries can be made to the Seoul National University SAM Mentoring Operations Office.

One-on-One Career Coaching Training

Seocho-gu announced that its women-specialized organization ‘Seocho Nabi Coach Group’ is achieving a twofold effect by helping instructors find their own identity and students find their career paths through career coaching education for youth.

The Seocho Nabi Coach Group is composed of women who completed the ‘Seocho Nabi Coach Academy,’ a professional coaching education program designed to develop the potential of career-interrupted women and support their social roles. Established in 2015, about 20 members currently work as career coaches, conducting one-on-one youth career coaching, parent education, and coaching program development.

Among their activities, the ‘Career Coaching Education Visiting Schools’ is a representative program that has received great responses from students, teachers, and parents. Former teachers, psychological counselors, and others in the Nabi Coach Group visit more than 10 elementary, middle, and high schools annually to provide education. To date, they have educated a total of 24 schools and about 15,000 students.

Especially from April this year, following the lifting of COVID-19 social distancing, the program titled ‘Catch the VIP Within Me! Career Coaching Education’ is being conducted face-to-face until November.

The education schedule involves visiting schools on ‘Career Days’ when career exploration education is conducted, providing about 1 hour and 30 minutes of classes.

The program features the use of career coaching materials developed by the Seocho Nabi Coach Group, conducted interactively around three themes: ▲Vision ▲Interest ▲Potential.

Participants use activity sheets to explore their preferences and interests based on personal experiences, reflecting on questions such as ‘Why do I like this?’, ‘How can I develop this interest?’, and ‘How can I relate my interests to my career?’ Then, through the DISC behavioral type test, they identify their type and concretize their career based on their interests and temperament.

Additionally, the Nabi Coach Group collects students’ activity sheets, comments on each, compiles them into books, and distributes them by class.

Min Seo-hyun (14), a student at Seoun Middle School who participated last month, said, “Among all the career classes I have taken so far, this education was the most interesting,” adding, “It was fun to learn about my psychology through drawing exercises, and through the instructors’ professional explanations, I was able to turn my weaknesses into strengths, which boosted my self-esteem.”

Moreover, the Nabi Coach Group holds voluntary study sessions every Monday to upgrade teaching materials and provide feedback on the sessions for more professional career coaching counseling. They also offer one-on-one career coaching for students who want additional support and parent coaching education emphasizing the role of parents at home.

Choi Myung-hee, head of the Seocho Nabi Coach Group, said, “This education helps youth struggling to find their career paths, and instructors feel a sense of accomplishment and are passionately active as they see children discovering their dreams.”

Kim Il-nam, director of the Women and Childcare Division, said, “We will continue to support women facing career interruptions to realize their dreams and create opportunities to share those dreams and passions with others.”

This summer, an opportunity has opened to earn tuition fees and experience local government administration.

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced that it is recruiting 100 participants for the ‘University Student Administration and Welfare Experience Group’ for the upcoming summer vacation.

The Administration and Welfare Experience Group is designed to provide university students with the opportunity to experience administrative and welfare work during their vacation, increasing their understanding and interest in local government.

Applicants must be currently registered residents of Gangseo-gu as of the application start date (June 3, 2022) and be enrolled or on leave from a university (including junior colleges). However, students from remote universities, corporate universities, computer institutes, lifelong education centers, and credit bank education institutions under the National Institute for Lifelong Education are excluded.

The recruitment quota is 70 for general applicants and 30 for special recruitment targeting households receiving basic livelihood security, legally defined lower-income households, etc., totaling 100 participants.

Selected students will be assigned to the district office, community service centers, comprehensive social welfare centers, and other locations to perform various administrative and welfare tasks such as civil service guidance and document organization on-site.

They will also participate in experience programs such as CPR training and tours of major district facilities, and have opportunities for open communication and sharing their experiences while working as part of the experience group.

The work period for the Administration and Welfare Experience Group is from July 7 to August 3, with working hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., five hours a day, five days a week. Work locations will be assigned considering participants’ preferred departments and majors.

Students wishing to participate can apply online through the integrated reservation menu on the Gangseo-gu Office website by 6 p.m. on the 10th.

More detailed information on application methods and working conditions can be found under ‘Gangseo News - Notices/Announcements’ on the Gangseo-gu Office website.

The district will select participants through a random computer draw among applicants, announce the results on the district office website’s notice board at 5 p.m. on the 13th, and notify selected individuals separately.

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) announced on the 7th that it will promote the ‘I Live Safely’ security equipment support project to prevent residential intrusion crimes and create a safe living environment for residents.

Last year, the district conducted the ‘Safe Home Set Support Project’ targeting 138 single-woman households, and this year it has expanded the scope and target of the project.

This year, in addition to the Safe Home Set, the district will jointly promote the ‘Stalking Crime Victim Prevention Safety Items’ support project with the Seodaemun-gu Family Center.

The ‘Safe Home Set’ consists of four items: ▲a ‘double lock device’ that prevents the front door from fully opening ▲a ‘door opening sensor’ that sends notifications to a smartphone when the door is opened from outside ▲a ‘window lock device’ that prevents windows from opening beyond a certain extent ▲a ‘home CCTV’ that detects external intrusion and movement.

Support targets are single-woman households and single-parent households with local jeonse deposit (monthly rent converted to jeonse) of 250 million KRW or less, and single-man households who have experienced crime. However, apartment residents and homeowners are excluded.

Applicants can choose all or some of the four items, but installation of the ‘double lock device’ requires the building owner’s consent before installation.

The ‘Stalking Crime Victim Prevention Safety Items’ are provided to local men and women who have experienced or are at risk of stalking or gender-based violence to strengthen security in their daily living spaces.

Supported items include a ‘smart doorbell’ that allows real-time monitoring of the front door via mobile phone before and after returning home, and a ‘home CCTV’ to check the home situation when going out.

Additionally, applicants can choose one of the ‘door opening sensor’ or ‘police whistle’.

The district plans to prioritize support for individuals recommended by the police as personal protection targets. Applicants can also apply by submitting evidence such as incident reports related to sexual crimes.

Applicants can download the application form from the Seodaemun-gu Office website’s notice section, fill it out, and submit it by email or mail by the 8th of next month.

Support targets will be selected after reviewing housing type and safety vulnerability.

Mayor Moon Seok-jin said, “We expect this project to help create a community where all residents, including single-person households and vulnerable groups, can live safely and with peace of mind.”

For more details about the Seodaemun-gu ‘Security Equipment Support Project,’ inquiries can be made to the Women and Family Division of Seodaemun-gu Office.